The UKGC recently investigated Mecca Bingo after they treated ‘loyal’ customer Caroline Dumont like a VIP despite the fact she was gambling away almost £20,000 a week. Mecca Bingo train their staff to be on the look out for problem-gamblers, and yet Caroline was encouraged and treat like VIP. Mecca Bingo has forfeited £1 million to make up for this error.
Gambling Problem
Problem gambling has become a huge problem for many gamblers and companies as the early signs of the serious addiction often goes unnoticed. It’s often thought that casinos are responsible for placing proper measures to ensure their customers are gambling responsibly. Caroline, a 57-year-old grandmother from Kent, earns £36,000 a year and yet managed to gamble £50,000 a month. The UKCG investigation states that she stole her gambling money from the three companies that employed her, so much so that one company went into liquidation and another relied on the owner’s personal funds to avoid bankruptcy. “Soon I was taking as much as £3,000 every few days. At its height, I was taking up to £20,000 a week, betting £250 a time,” Caroline admitted. “I could’ve been stopped. In 2012 Mecca had enough evidence to trigger a warning system.”
Guilty Of Fraud
Caroline pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud at Maidstone Crown Court and is to serve three years in jail. Of course, Caroline is responsible for her own actions, but her case is a perfect example of the lengths some will go to in order to feed their addiction. The best way to combat this sort of behaviour is to restrict the addicted person’s access to gambling, not to reward them as Mecca Bingo appears to have done in this case. “[Dumont’s] spending with Rank Digital was of a level which should have led to questions being asked about how she could afford to lose such significant amounts,” said the UKGC. “There is no evidence that the online customer gave an inaccurate account of how she could afford to sustain such significant losses; she simply was not asked.” 
Winnings
Caroline began playing virtual slots on meccabingo.com in 2011 and has since won a trip to Las Vegas, a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon and a cruise. Not once did the company check where Caroline was getting her large amounts of cash. Instead, she was labeled a ‘good customer’ and due to this oversight, Rank Ltd, owner of Mecca, have had to give back £950,000 and all profits made from Caroline’s gambling. “Since this case was brought to our attention some months ago, we have conducted a full review of our operational approach as well as undergoing an independent critical review,” said Rank Ltd in a statement. “We have voluntarily surrendered any profits that resulted from Miss Dumont’s transactions with our company, as agreed with the Gambling Commission.” They’ve also issued an apology for forfeiting off stolen money and rewarding Caroline’s habit.